Gulfood Manufacturing Gulfood Manufacturing 2022: 2,500 exhibitors happy and future of industry brighter

The three-day event at DWTC brought together more than 2,500 exhibitors; facilitated hours of discussion and debate; and helped pave the future of the industry by supporting young chefs.

Gulfood Manufacturing is an annual trade event that showcases the latest innovations, trends and solutions in the food and beverage industry. It is the largest food and beverage processing and packaging event in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia region, attracting exhibitors and visitors from around the world. The event provides a platform for industry leaders to showcase their products, network with potential customers, and exchange ideas and knowledge. The show offers a comprehensive range of products and services, including ingredients, packaging, processing equipment, and food safety and quality management solutions. Gulfood Manufacturing is a key event for the food and beverage industry, providing a unique opportunity for businesses to grow and expand their market presence in the region.

Gulfood on food supply chain

A key session in the final morning focused on the reasons why the International Islamic Food Processing Association(IFPA) is relocating its head office to Dubai and choosing Dubai as its partner, as it seeks to diversify and strengthen the food supply chain to Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries, most of which currently face an underdeveloped food processing sector.

Immediately following the session, an MoU on cooperation in developing sustainable, innovative, and common solutions for industry was signed between the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) – of which IFPA is a subsidiary –and Food Tech Valley, a UAE-government led initiative designed to address food security locally, regionally, and globally.

GulfHost Foodservice Excellence Summit and YouthX

Meanwhile at Gulfhost’s Foodservice Excellence Summit, participants gained a better understanding of the developments from around the globe that are inspiring changes in the hospitality sector, as well as trends in sustainable design in the F&B sector from some of the world’s leading hotel brands.

Meanwhile, in Gulfood YouthX, teams from Burj Al Arab, Sofitel The Obelisk, Jumeirah Al Qasr, and Grosvenor House were in the finals. The team from Sofitel The Obelisk, made up of Yubak Bista, Sidney Mathews, and Sameera Shaw, and mentored by Russell Impiazzi, were named the winners, given AED100,000 worth of prizes, including a cash prize for each chef.

What the show means to the industry

Peggy Li, managing partner at sps;affinity commented from a visitor perspective: “Gulfood Manufacturing is an iconic anchor event of DWTC. Gulfood Manufacturing this year has really shown that Dubai is fully back in business. Plenty of new technologies on food packaging, and food safety storage-related machinery, were the highlight for me. Also seeing the headline chefs at Gulfhost’s Top Table truly shows the thriving restaurant scene of Dubai.”

Gulfood Manufacturing 2022 is the definitive destination leading the future of food production from new ingredients and advanced technologies to integrated supply chain solutions and breakthrough developments driving the industry forward.

The event brought together the F&B manufacturing industry across sectors in processing, packaging, ingredients, supply chain solutions and control & automation; in a single food ecosystem with an agenda that will shape the future of the manufacturing industry - amplifying the opportunity created by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and building upon and supporting the transformation of the country's industrial sector into a global manufacturing hub, in line with the UAE’s ‘Make it in the Emirates’ vision.

Over the three days of the event, Gulfood Manufacturing 2022 examined themes of Sustainability, and advanced Technology adoption; Nutrition and Efficiency evolution, and stimulating Innovation, in order to help organisations reduce costs, grow and transform. The biggest challenges in global food production were also addressed, rising food prices principal among them. With food prices having risen by nearly 14% this year in emerging markets and by over 7% in advanced economies, inflation - and the repercussions for the world’s poorest – were a key focus area for conversations.

The event aimed to create a more sustainable, resilient, agile and efficient industry for the future, bringing global experts, decision-makers and thought leaders together for insightful and inspir- ing sessions, to share ideas on the advancement of the industry. A key feature this year included the Food Tech Summit where over 100 of the industry's most dynamic and engaging speakers were convened to discuss an issue-driven agenda ranging from food engineering innovations, factories of the future, web 3.0 applications in food, emerging markets, food safety, circular ecosystems, sustainability-linked finance models, and much more.

Visitors had the chance to hear firsthand from industry leaders, regulatory and policy makers, financial institutions, geo-political and risk advisors, investors and research & development specialists. Dr Aman Puri, Consulate General of India, Dubai; Ahmad Sultan Al Haddad, Chief Operating Officer, Parks and Zones, DP World, UAE Region; Amadou Diallo, Chief Executive Officer Middle East & Africa, DHL Global Forwarding and Kebour Ghenna, Executive Director of the Pan African Chamber of Commerce and Industry were among the names slated to speak at the Food Tech Summit.

Gulfood Manufacturing continues to garner interest from top global food production players, with exhibition stand space having sold out for this year already. From the ingredients sector alone, 95% of the world’s top ingredients brands have confirmed participation for the 2022 edition, including Wilmar (Gulfood Manufacturing 2022 Platinum Sponsor), Givaudan, Cargill, and International Flavors & Fragrances. Furthermore, from the processing and packaging sector, Riekermann, Tetrapak, Siemens, GEA, SIG and Krones will also be participating. This year’s edition have seen the biggest representation in recent years from Europe, with countries like Switzerland and Portugal returning to the event in full force.

“Leading our industry in sustainability with our people, products and solutions, we are setting new industry standards in packaging. We are very excited to take part in Gulfood Manufacturing again this year with a stand showcasing our latest innovations and value-added solutions. Gulfood Manufacturing’s exhibition is the most important forum where industry leaders come together to discuss the latest trends and developments in the food and beverage industry and what they mean for the sector. We are thrilled to take part in the discussion on what the future of packaging is going to be and how we are shaping it today.”

Abdelghany Eladib, President and General Manager, SIG Middle East and Africa.

The event created a platform for the largest companies in the food industry to present their products, services, and solutions to influential buyers from across the globe, creating multiple opportunities to network and do business. This year was no exception as participants have the opportunity to build new professional relationships, strengthen existing ones, and execute high-value deals.